Contents

Synopsis

A storm forces the boys off the highway, and they check into the the Elysian Fields Hotel - an unusually plush four star establishment. As they are opening their room, they see an amorous couple enter the room next to them. Shortly after there is a commotion from the room, but when the boys enter, the couple is gone.

The manager at the front desk is evasive, and Sam decides to keep tabs on him, while Dean uses his EMF to see if there is any supernatural activity. As he passes one room he sees an elephant picking up a towel, but when he returns it is simply a man in a towel.

Investigating the hotel kitchen, they find a soup full of eyeballs, and then a number of people locked in the cool room. As they try to free the guests, Zao Shen and Baron Samedi capture them.

In a conference room, gods from many religions are gathered. Baldur sets some ground rules for their behavior, and he and Kali outline how they have gathered everyone together to address the fact that the Judeo-Christain Apocalypse as started by Lucifer threatens the Earth. They have captured Sam and Dean, who they know are vessels, to use as bargaining chips.

Gabriel explains to Sam and Dean he is there to save them, and that he once had a relationship with Kali, and doesn't want her or the other gods killed. Gabriel tells Sam and Dean that Kali has bound Sam and Dean to her with a blood spell. He goes to her room, pretending to be romantic in an attempt to retrieve the boys' blood, but she realizes his ruse and draws his blood, binding Gabriel to her.

In front of the other gods, Kali reveals that she has discovered that Gabriel is an archangel, and she uses what she thinks is an angel blade to kill him. Sam and Dean then agree they will help the gods call Lucifer, if the humans they are holding can be freed. While Dean is seeing the people to safety, he finds Gabriel hiding in the Impala - the blade Kali found was a fake. He tells Dean to get their blood from Kali so they can escape. However Dean suspects he cares for the other gods, but Gabriel is unable or unwilling to use his blade to kill Lucifer.

Lucifer arrives and kills all of the gods, and is about to kill Kali when Gabriel intervenes. He tells Lucifer that he has no legitimate grievance, he is merely jealous that humanity replaced him in God's affections. Gabriel says he is not on Lucifer's side, or Michael's, but that he has come to agree with God: that humanity is better than them. Gabriel then tries to kill Lucifer with the angel blade, but Lucifer turns it on him and kills Gabriel.

After their escape, Sam and Dean play a Casa Erotica DVD Gabriel gave Dean. In it Gabriel tells them they may be able to re-imprison Lucifer, and that the keys to his cage are the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of which they already have those of War and Famine. A final scene shows the arrival of a very sickly Pestilence, accompanied by a swarm of flies.

Baldur: Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming. Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof.

Sam: Gods?

Baldur: Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules. No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're, trying to keep a low profile here.

Baldur: Now we all know why we're here. The Judeo-Christian Apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look toward the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have two very valuable bargaining chips. Michael, and Lucifer's vessels. The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room.

Odin: I don't know what everybody's getting so worked up about! 'Cause it's just a couple of angels having a slap fight! There's no Armageddon. Everybody knows, when the world comes to an end, the Great Serpent Jormungandr rises up, and I myself will be eaten by a big wolf!

Zao Shen: Here we go...Odin: Oh yeah? And why is that? Because your beliefs are so much more realistic? The whole world's getting carried around on the back of a giant turtle? Ha! Give me a break!Zao Shen: Don't mock my world turtle.Odin: What are you gonna do about it?Zao Shen: I'm gonna send you packing to Valhalla!Odin: You watch your mouth when you talk to me, boy!Zao Shen: Boy? I'm older than you.

Odin: No one's ever proved that.

Kali: If we fight--

Gabriel/Loki: You die.Kali: And what makes you such an expert?

Gabriel/Loki: I've tussled with those winged ass-monkeys once or twice. Kali, no more tricks. I'm begging you, don't do this.

Gabriel: I'm not a spy. I'm a runaway. I'm trying to save you. I know my brother, Kali. He should scare the living crap out of you. You can't beat him. I've skipped ahead, seen how this story ends. Kali: Your story. Not ours. Westerners, I swear. The sheer arrogance. You think you're the only ones on earth? You pillage and you butcher in your God's name. But you're not the only religion, and he's not the only god. And now you think you can just rip the planet apart? You're wrong. There are billions of us. An we were here first. If anyone gets to end this world, it's me. I'm sorry

Dean: All right you primitive screwheads. Listen up.

Sam: Are you outta your mind?Dean: I'm outta options. Now on any other given day, I'd be doing my damnedest to, uh, kill you, you filthy murdering chimps. [chuckles] But, uh, hey... desperate times. So even though I'd love nothing better than to slit your throats, you... dicks... I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna help you ice the devil. [pours a drink] And then we can all get back to gankin' each other, like normal. You want Lucifer? Well, dude's not in the Yellow Pages. But me and Sam, we can get him here.Kali: How?

Dean: First, you let those main courses go. Then we talk. We can either take on the devil together, or you lame-ass bitches can eat me. Literally.

Lucifer: You know, I never understood you pagans, always fighting, always happy to sell out your own kind. No wonder you forfeited this planet to us. You are worse than humans. You're worse than demons. And yet you claim to be gods.

Gabriel: Lucifer, you're my brother. And I love you. But you are a great big bag of dicks.Lucifer: Wait, what did you just say to me?

Dean: Horsemen, huh? Well we got War's... And we nicked Famine's. That's two rings down. Collect all four? All we need is Pestilence and Death.Sam: Oh, is that all?

Trivia & References

The title "Hammer of the Gods" is a play on a reference in the Led Zeppelin single "Immigrant Song" in the lyric, "The hammer of the gods/will drive our ships to new lands" - an allusion to the hammer of the Norse god Thor. Led Zeppelin's sound subsequently was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Gods." The phrase was also the title of biography of the band.

The episode takes place at the Elysian Fields Hotel. In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields are located in the Elysium section of the Underworld and are the resting place of the good and the heroic.

The Elysian Fields Hotel being a hotel that seems to be perfect but then reveals itself to be a gilded cage from which you can't escape is very reminiscent of the Eagles' 1977 song Hotel California and its eponymous hotel.

There are ten gods present at the Elysian Fields Hotel. Among those who are identified or have speaking roles in the episode: Mercury, Ganesh, Odin, Kali, Baron Samedi, Baldur, and Zao Shen. Along with the goddess Isis and two unnamed gods in non-speaking roles.

Twelve guests are present at the formal gathering, including Sam and Dean, making Loki the thirteenth to show up when he crashes the party. This corresponds to a story from Norse mythology centering around a feast to which the trickster was not invited, and at which Baldur was killed.

Mercury's name tag actually says "Chet," a reference to Steve Buscemi's unsettling bellhop character in the film Barton Fink.

Sam: Creepy.

Dean: Broke the needle. All right, well, I'll scope out the joint, and you keep an eye on Norman Bates over here. I mean, one night off. Is that too much to ask?

Norman Bates was the creepy serial killing owner of the Bates Motel in the Hitchcock movie Psycho.

The scene where Dean sees Ganesh in elephant form is a literal play on the popular phrase "the elephant in the room", which is a metaphor for an obvious truth or problem that is being ignored or not being addressed. Gabriel later uses the phrase when he arrives at the meeting:

Baldur: Why are you here?

Gabriel: To talk about the elephant in the room. [Ganesh looks upset and begins to get out of his chair] Not you!

This line is reminiscent to a scene from the movie City Slickers, and is an old gag used in countless other movies and TV shows. It is a running joke on the crime procedural NCIS, where the charter of Gibbs often approaches without warning while other characters are talking about him. In Pantomime audience participation often takes the form of calling out "He's behind you!"

Gabriel: I'm taking this seriously. Ship's sinking, time to get off. I mean screw this marble. Let's go check out Pandora.

Pandora was the home of the Na'vi in James Cameron's 2009 movie Avatar Pandora is also the name of an inner satellite, or moon, of Saturn. Marble may also be referencing the end of the movie Men in Black when the Earth is revealed to be a marble.

Gabriel: Okay, okay! So I got wings, like Kotex. But that doesn't make me any less right about Lucifer.

Kotex makes feminine hygiene products, including pads with "wings" to help keep them in place.

This line is a quote from the movie Army of Darkness aka Evil Dead III. The line is used by Ash (Bruce Campbell) when explaining to peasants about his rifle after being sent back in time to the Dark Ages to retrieve the Necronomicon. It's a classic, really.

Gabriel: Well, good luck with that. Me? I'm blowing Jonestown. Those lemmings wanna run off a cliff, that's their business.

Jonestown was the name of a community in the forest in Guyana run by cult leader Jim Jones, where he lived with approximately 1,000 followers. In 1978, Jones ordered his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking Flavor Aid laced with cyanide (often misidentified as Kool Aid), resulting in the deaths of more than 900 people. This incident is the origin for the phrase "drinking the Kool Aid," which is a metaphor for accepting an order, argument, philosophy, or belief without question (and a recurring theme and issue in Supernatural, although this specific expression has never been used in an episode as of this writing.)

After impaling Baldur with his right fist, Lucifer spends the rest of the scene with blood nearly to his elbow, reminiscent of the song "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

Gabriel: Not really. Better late then never, huh? Guard this, with your life. Lucy, I'm home. Not this time. Guys! Get her outta here.

The greeting of Ricky Ricardo when he got home from work in the 1950s sitcom series I Love Lucy. In fandom, Lucifer is sometimes referred to as "Lucy" or "Luci."

Lucifer: They are broken. Flawed! Abortions.

Gabriel: Damn right they're flawed. But a lot of them try. To do better, to forgive. And you should see the Spearmint Rhino! I've been riding the pine a long time. But I'm in the game now, and I'm not on your side, or Michael's. I'm on theirs.